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A Heart’s Dream

With the recent losses of celebrities George Michael, Florence Henderson and Carrie Fisher, the cases of heart-related deaths have risen dramatically. A new national study is working to reverse this trend in the area of heart failure. According to the Centers for Disease Control, heart failure affects 5.7 million adults in the U.S. and results from the heart’s inability to pump enough blood and oxygen to support the body’s needs.

Doctors at Bethesda Heart Hospital and Bethesda’s Research Center, in conjunction with Research Physicians Alliance (RPNA), are currently studying a state-of-the-art treatment for chronic heart failure (CHF) through a national clinical trial called DREAM-HF-1.

Using stem-cells, the DREAM-HF-1 study aims to enhance the function of the heart muscle by regenerating heart tissue and consequently enhance heart function. Because stem-cells are early-stage

cells that can divide and renew themselves over time, they can either create new stem cells or become a new specialized cell, such as a heart cell.

The treatment being studied involves harvesting stem cells from healthy, allogenic donors, which can later be injected into the heart muscle of study participants via a catheterization procedure.

Bethesda Heart Hospital is one of 150 sites across the country participating in this study, and interventional cardiologist George K. Daniel, M.D., is the principal investigator, with medical cardiologist Christina Michael, M.D., evaluating the progress of study patients.

The study’s key goals are to reduce mortality caused by CHF, reduce recurring hospitalizations caused by CHF symptoms and promote improved physical activity to enhance quality of life.

Patients undergo one stem cell procedure followed by periodic evaluations with the study team. Post-procedure visits last approximately 24 months and are conducted via office visits and phone interviews.

If you have suffered from chronic heart failure for six months or longer, you may be a candidate for the DREAM-HF-1 study. To find out more, check with your doctor and call the Bethesda Health Research Center at (561) 374-5020.